If not today, govt must issue referendum order by tomorrow: Jamaat's Taher
The Jamaat leader warned that any delay would impact the upcoming national election.
The interim government must issue an order to begin preparations for the national referendum by today or, at the latest, by tomorrow, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said today (30 October).
"If the order is issued today, that would be best. There have been precedents of orders being issued even at midnight. But if not today, it must be done tomorrow. There is no scope for further delay," he made the remarks at an emergency press conference at Al-Falah Auditorium in Dhaka's Moghbazar.
The Jamaat leader warned that any delay would impact the upcoming national election, adding, "The government and those trying to influence the process will have to bear responsibility before the nation."
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Addressing speculation about Jamaat's stance on the election, Taher said, "Some are spreading confusion through partial statements on Facebook, suggesting Jamaat is undecided about whether it wants an election in February. That is completely false."
"We want full implementation of the July Charter on a legal basis," he said. "Based on the National Consensus Commission's recommendations, the government must immediately issue an order. We want a referendum before the polls, and it should be based on the referendum's verdict."
Taher also dismissed claims that the commission was working to implement another party's agenda. "This has no basis in reality," he said. "The commission only discussed the issues on its own agenda. We had also requested some topics to be included, but the commission did not accept them."
Earlier in the day, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul said the chief adviser will make the final decision soon on July Charter referendum.
